Prime Minister Kan is on board with the U.S. military presence in Okinawa, but the island’s residents and politicians are considerably less sanguine about it.
Japan’s Three Elections
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Americans Don’t Really Believe There Is Such a Thing as a Moderate Muslim
Media’s failure to cover “boring” moderate Muslims leads Americans to believe that most Muslims hate the United States.
The Worst of Both Worlds: The “Shimano Problem” Underscores Clash of Cultures When Buddhism Spread to West
By sleeping with their students, Eastern and Western Buddhist teachers have trashed not only young souls but their own traditions.
‘Smart Sanctions’ on Iran are Dumb
In the face of the rising hysteria regarding Iran’s development of its nuclear power facilities, there is talk of preemptive military strikes against Iran. Meanwhile, sanctions on Iran — by both the UN Security Council and the United States — have become increasingly harsh. And to the extent they are successful, these sanctions will harm the wrong people and have little impact on the political leadership.
It’s “Groundhog Day” All Over Again in Pyongyang
Even sending Bill Murray to negotiate with North Korea is preferable to Obama’s Bush-like hard line, complete with sanctions.
Et Tu, Buddha? Rationalizing Violence in Buddhism
Despite its pacifistic reputation in the West, Buddhism can be as violent as any religion.
Why Don’t Iraqis and Afghans Embrace Democracy?
There are other reasons besides the bad example we set why states we occupy fail to jump through the U.S. democracy hoop.
War Talk, Peace Talk
It is difficult to avoid bumping into Jeffrey Goldberg these days. The Atlantic commentator’s prediction that there is a good chance Israel will strike Iran by next July to destroy its alleged nuclear weapons program has got everyone talking, and writing, and then talking some more.
My Weak Muslim President
Except for a few residual Know-Nothings, Americans wouldn’t think twice about voting for a Catholic president. In the last election, President Obama abolished the presidential race taboo. And we’re likely to have a woman president in the next decade or so. Of course, we haven’t elected a Catholic since Kennedy, we might not break the race barrier again for a while, and let’s hope our first woman president isn’t Mama Grizzly herself.
Israel and the Rise of Ultra-Semitism
Something resembling genocide is gaining currency among elements of the Israeli government and public.